Climbing
Diamond Head

 

Summer Vacation 2018 - Hawaii

(created Sun. July 29, 2018; updated Sun. Feb. 17, 2018)





The hike to the top of Diamond Head






On our first full day on Oahu, we decided to get some Chinese in Chinatown and then hike to the top of Diamond Head.


Even with help from Yelp, we found no Chinese restaurants at all in Chinatown, which surprised us, too.  Surely there are some Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, but we couldn’t find where they are located... next trip.


We did see several Vietnamese and Korean and Japanese restaurants, and after walking several blocks we recognized that we should give up on finding Chinese food and enjoy some Japanese.  Then Matt found Domo Cafe, which makes good sushi and also cooked Japanese dishes.  We enjoyed a great lunch.





After lunch, we departed Chinatown and went to Diamond Head, driving past the blue stop sign (apparently on private property so you can make it be a color that is not red)...






...and through the tunnel into the inside of the crater.





We parked, and were soon making our way up the trail. 




The trail is almost one mile in length, is mostly well-worn dirt and rocks, and does have many stairs at the top.   The trail rises 560 feet from crater floor to the summit.  The crater floor is a couple hundred feet above sea level, so you’re almost 800 feet above the waves when you reach the summit.




Diamond Head is called Le ahi... Lee a-hee in Hawaiian.


It is an extinct crater some 300,000 years old.


The name comes from western sailors who thought the sparkles from the sun hitting its rocks were diamonds buried in the rocks.








The views from the summit awe amazing... the water is so colorful.





















Diamond Head is on the southeast corner of Oahu.  Our hotel is on the southwest corner, and we could just make out the buildings off in the distance, there on the horizon.





We used the GoPro to record the walk back down the trail...

... these are still images from that video.






















As we drove home, we wandered through some neighboring homes, and we saw this pig just walking around... possibly a lost pet.






We met a family from New Jersey on a similar family trip, and we talked a while after arriving back at the start of the trail.  We shared interesting stories about out trip... It was nice meeting you!



The sunset on the drive home was quite pretty.














Links to the rest of this travel journal:


  1. 1)Highlights

  2. 2)Highlights - Big Island

  3. 3)Highlights - Oahu

  4. 4)Highlights - Kauai


  5. 5)Hawaii Geography


  6. 6)Flights - STL / St. Louis to KOA / Kona


  1. 7)Kona - Kailua

  2. 8)Kona - Painted Church and Place of Refuge

  3. 9)Kona - Coffee


  1. 10)Ka Lae / South Point and Punalu’u / Black Beach

  2. 11)Kona - Outrigger Canoe and Snorkeling

  3. 12)Moku Nui Lava Boat Tour

  4. 13)Lava Boat Videos

  5. 14)Drive, Hilo to Kona on Hw 19



  6. 15)Flight - KOA / Kona to HNL / Honolulu

  7. 16)Oahu - Chinatown and Diamond Head

  8. 17)Oahu - Dole Plantation Maze and Polynesian Cultural Center

  9. 18)Oahu - Hanauma Bay

  10. 19)Oahu - Hanauma Bay Videos



  11. 20)Flight - HNL / Honolulu to LIH / Lihue, Kauai

  12. 21)Kauai Churches

  13. 22)Kauai - Na Pali Catamaran

  14. 23)Kauai - Na Pali Videos

  15. 24)Kauai - fun in the resort and at Kalapaki Beach

  16. 25)Flight - LIH / Lihue, Kauai to STL / St. Louis



  17. 26)SLUH in HI



  18. 27)Hawaii Revealed

  19. 28)Postcards

  20. 29)Reviews



  21. 30)Hawaii 2000

  22. 31)Hawaii 2000 - Maui

  23. 32)Hawaii 2000 - Oahu